Cherokee festival showcases gourd crafts

Gourd artists from around the world will gather at the 11th annual Gourd Artists Gathering and Art Festival May 31 to June 2 in Cherokee.

Throughout the weekend, nearly 300 gourd artists will be participating in more than 100 scheduled workshops, demonstrations, mini-workshops, presentations and Q&A sessions. Gourd art instructors and nationally acclaimed artists from around the country have teamed up to provide a wide variety of techniques from their areas of expertise.

In addition to a variety of finished gourd art for sale, many art and craft supply vendors will be on hand with a variety of tools, books, patterns, accessories and other supplies, which are used in many art forms, not only gourd art. There will be an auction Saturday evening, which features a wide variety of finished gourd art, raw gourds, gourd-related items and other art.